This invention relates generally to the containment and detection of hazardous material in a sealed container, and, more particularly to a closed loop system to recirculate air over or through items contained in a sealed container.
The recent incidents of anthrax-laced letters flowing through the United States Postal Service (USPS) facilities have alarmed the nation and the world. Currently, the tainted letters are discovered after the recipient accepts delivery or by alert postal employees noticing white powder that could be anthrax on mail parcels, sorting and distribution equipment, or themselves. There appear to be no current security devices or procedures that are available to intercept such letters at the earliest source of introduction into the USPS system, for example at the mailbox or post office drop box. Also, there appears to be no known device or procedure that safeguards against biological agents in powdery forms such as anthrax.
Current devices that could detect and safeguard against biological agents can present further problems such as introducing additional contaminants into the air sample that may cause false alarms or shorten the life span of contaminant detection devices. Some current devices are deficient in that they allow the migration of deadly contaminants to the outside environment, or they require the use of costly high efficiency particle air filters (HEPA) filters to process air before release to the outside environment. Some lack the capability to interject a contaminant neutralizer into a sealer container when a contaminant has been detected.
A system is needed in which detection and neutralization of mail- and parcel-born contamination can happen in a closed environment without manual intervention.